COPYRIGHT NOTICE
.COPYRGT.Copyright 1998, Ronald S. Hollister and Thomas S. Corbett. All rights reserved. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owners have no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the USPTO patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for gripping a fluid carrying hose.
2. Problem to be Solved
Fluid carrying hoses are used in many settings. For example, fluid carrying hoses are used in the fire fighting, chemical, petroleum and water treatment industries. There are many other settings in which fluid carrying hoses are utilized.
In many of the applications mentioned above, the fluid carrying hoses are generally of relatively large diameter and the fluid pressure therein is relatively high. For example, in the fire fighting industry, the fluid pressure in the hose is relatively high in order to move and/or eject a large volume of water a relatively long distance from the outlet of the hose to the fire. As a result, the reactive force on the hose is also relatively high thereby often necessitating more than one person handling the end of the hose. In a fire fighting scenario, handling the hose is made all the more difficult due to the conditions generally encountered, e.g. obstacles and debris, the need to advance the hose through and around unfamiliar structures, darkness or reduced visibility due to smoke, difficulty in gripping the hose due to excessive moisture on the hose, fatigue of the personnel handling the hose, etc.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for gripping a pressurized fluid carrying hose that provides the personnel handling the hose with a significantly improved grip on the hose.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for gripping a pressurized fluid carrying hose that can be quickly attached to a hose.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for gripping a pressurized fluid carrying hose that does not significantly distort the hose or interfere with the flow of fluid through the hose.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for gripping a pressurized fluid carrying hose that is easy to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for gripping a pressurized fluid carrying hose that is portable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for gripping a pressurized fluid carrying hose that can be inexpensively manufactured.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.